Static Crack

Maya's iphone vibrated against her palm like a trapped bee. 2:47 AM and still no text back from Kai, even though his story showed him at Jake's party two hours ago.

She flopped backward onto her bed, where Buster — her family's ancient golden retriever — let out a dramatic huff and rested his chin on her stomach. "At least someone's loyal," she muttered, scratching behind his ears.

Outside, lightning fractured the sky, illuminating her room in strobe-light flashes. Perfect weather for her mood.

Her phone lit up again. Her stomach did that thing — the flip-flop that felt simultaneously like hope and nausea. But it was just the group chat blowing up.

amber_glow: Kai's literally hooking up with Sarah wtf

carter.n: saw them tgt they're def flirting

Maya's thumb hovered over the screen, palm suddenly sweating. She could type something petty. She could screenshot and blast him. She could —

A massive crack of thunder shook the house. Buster shot up, barking at the thunder like it personally offended him.

In that moment, watching her dog lose his mind over noise and weather while her friends devolved into middle-school drama over some boy she'd known for three weeks, something clicked.

She turned off her phone.

The room went dark except for lightning pulses, painting Buster in silhouette as he paced, confused and magnificent in his 14-year-old way.

"You know what, bud?" she whispered, pressing her forehead to his. "Screw it. Let them gossip. I'm gonna sleep."

For the first time in months, her palm was dry when she finally closed her eyes.